


Tender

by slycool



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, M/M, petting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 21:58:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4365683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slycool/pseuds/slycool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been a few months since Ren has lived with Aoba as something other than his Allmate, and he longs to be touched the way he used to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tender

It had been a few months since Ren had awoken in a body unlike his own; the strangely worn yet taut feeling of skin on his shoulders, the eyelashes that lightly brushed his cheekbones as he opened his eyes and first blinked at Aoba. There he was, with flesh and blood of his own and the freedom to interact with Aoba as he longed to do for what felt like eons.

For months he had lived with Aoba as his lover and his friend, and it was the same amount of time that he had a small existential crisis at the sight of his old Allmate shell still running around the house. Tae would yell about the small blue dog yapping at her feet, Aoba would apologize, and Ren could only stop and stare absentmindedly at what was once himself. The Allmate served its purpose just as Ren used to, but that was not Ren. Ren was Ren, and he was a human now, but he was also Aoba’s brother, but also not because he was Aoba’s conscience, but now he was his own person and thus an individual?

The whole concept made him feel like smoke was coming out of his ears and it was only made worse whenever Aoba sat down and groomed the Allmate with the very same brush whose bristles used to tickle the faux skin of Ren’s body so nicely. The Allmate would nestle into Aoba’s lap, just as he used to, stick its tongue out, and accept Aoba’s tender touch wholeheartedly. Ren, lying next to Aoba on the bed as he worked, would watch with the fond memory of those fingers scratching the back of his ear, raking along the fur of his back and barely grazing his nails against his skin, the sweet mutterings of affection that would make his ears press flat on his head. Whenever he began to speak, Ren would close his eyes and relive those feelings, a tingle going down his spine at the laughter caused by the Allmate licking Aoba’s hand excitedly.

Ren usually couldn’t contain himself in these moments and would demand attention in his own way.

But that day was different. Ren had chosen to lie in bed with a good book shortly after helping Tae with the dishes, though not for long as Aoba came into the room with the pitter-patter of tiny paws thundering behind him.

“Scoot over, Ren.” And he obliged, his shoulder pressing into the wall as the weight of Aoba’s body shifted the mattress. Ren’s golden eyes now gazed at Aoba’s back with anticipation. It was rather early for him to be coming to bed, so if that were the case, there must have been something wrong. His body language said nothing to back up the theory though, and Ren furrowed his brow as he over thought the situation.

The Allmate jumped onto the bed next, sitting at Ren’s feet and staring at Aoba much in the same fashion as Ren.

Ren’s thoughts couldn’t be contained anymore and he decided to ask. “Are you tired, Aoba?”

Aoba looked back at Ren and smiled. “No, not really but it would be smart for me to go to bed, wouldn’t it?” The smile that spread across his face noticeably lit up the room and Ren smiled back.

“You do have to work tomorrow, so I would suggest it.”

“I’m not that tired though.” Aoba scratched the back of his head and looked over at the Allmate, who was curling up in an attempt to enter sleep mode.

Ren, propping himself up on his elbow, kept his eyes on him. “Going to sleep any later than an hour from now could affect your performance tomorrow.”

A brief snort from Aoba made Ren tense up. “Even as a human, you still talk like an Allmate.” He could only stare into those hazel eyes as they looked into his own. “It’s cute.”

The quickening of his heart was another response that Ren still wasn’t used to, but it always seemed to happen whenever Aoba said things like that. Though he wasn’t clueless to human reactions and emotions, he still had a long way to go before understanding his own in a way that could be expressed. Putting the book down on his lap, he sat up and leaned over to kiss Aoba’s cheek softly. “I’m only looking out for your health, Aoba.”

He could feel a smile on Aoba’s lips as he pressed them to Ren’s. “If you say so.” Even as he said that, he leaned further and further into Ren until he was veritably lying on top of him. “I’ll make myself comfortable.”

Ren shifted under his weight and glanced everywhere but at him before replying, “This is not recommended.” But Aoba nestled his head under his chin and sighed.

“You think too much.” 

“The world is complicated.”

“But they don’t have to be.”

He supposed that was true, but if he slept in this position he could wake up with stiff muscles. Ren tried to squirm out from under him or at least turn so they lay side by side, but Aoba seemed to do everything in his power to make himself heavier than he really was. A simple huff of mild frustration was all it took for Aoba to laugh again and look up at him.

“You sounded like you wanted to cuddle. Why are you fighting it so much?”

Ren had to ponder that for a moment before finally accomplishing his goal. Legs tangled together, eyes staring intensely into the others, Ren swallowed hard and answered. “I wasn’t expecting it. That was all.”

Aoba pursed his lips and brought a hand to Ren’s cheek, his thumb brushing the skin. “If you just ask for it, I’ll be more than happy to give what you want.”

Pressing closer to the hand, Ren smiled and said, “And I to you.”

“So what do you want?”

Though he hesitated, the feeling of the lump at the end of the bed on his foot reminded him of those lovely sensations of grooming that he missed so much, the feeling that the hand on his cheek just barely mirrored. The longing was there, but for a physical affection unlike that of sex, one more homely and familiar.

“Pet me.” Aoba, though caught off guard for a second, smiled wider and moved his hand up towards his hair. Ren closed his eyes to fully appreciate the feeling of the fingers raking through his new head of hair, his fingertips grazing the far more sensitive skin of his scalp. Aoba’s warmth mingled with his own in a beautifully awakening moment of closeness and for the first time, he was feeling more at home in his current body than ever.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I crapped this out because I felt the intense need to write something. I feel like it ended suddenly, but its all I could think of that made sense to me. Regardless thanks for reading, tell me what you think
> 
> Brand recognition is the spice of life. Follow my tumblr, sly-cool


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